gratitude journal
Why it makes you happier
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Keeping a gratitude journal will make you healthier and happier! Do not you think? Then try it out…
Stress, trouble and then bad weather – yes, some days you should cancel and stay in bed. It is clear to everyone that this does not bring fulfillment to our lives in the long run. And actually, we’re fine. Most even very well. We just never or seldom realize it. How do you change that and still benefit from it? This works with a very simple method: the gratitude journal. Why, why, why, we explain here.
Study on Gratitude
An acquaintance Study by psychologist Robert Emmons made gratitude his theme, asking three groups to write down over a 10-week period:
- what they are thankful for (group 1)
- what went bad and (group 2)
- which events influenced them (Group 3)
And this is how the participants answered …
- The first gratitude group gave answers like “wake up this morning”, “wonderful parents” or “the Rolling Stones”.
- The second anger group mentioned e.g. Examples include a “messy kitchen that nobody cleans,” “stupid people who drive,” and “doing a favor for a friend who doesn’t appreciate it.”
- The event group stated, among other things, that they “spoke to a doctor about medical school” or “took part in the Whole Earth Festival”.
Results of the study
The evaluations yielded astonishing results, as did the subjects with the gratitude journal measurably more optimism, felt more joie de vivre and felt more vital. There were also physical changes: They slept a little longer and better and had fewer physical complaints.
Another Study by psychology professor Sheung-Tak Cheng at the Hong Kong Institute of Education with hospital staff yielded similar results: Stress and depressive symptoms were significantly reduced when gratitude was practiced.
Sounds good right?! And the best thing is that we can all easily do it ourselves and use it for ourselves.
Ideas for your gratitude journal
In principle, all you need is a nice notebook, journal or simply a notebook, a pen and some time. A little guide to get you started:
- Reserve five minutes in the evening. This can be right after work or before you go to bed – whichever suits you best.
- Then sit down at your appointment with yourself and the book and think about what you are thankful for today.
- Write down about three to five thingsto which this applies.
- Stay on the ball. Don’t expect miracles overnight, the subjects also did this exercise for several weeks. If you notice that this ritual is good for you, you don’t have to stop after a few weeks…
For starters, it is enough if you write down three things. You can also extend the exercise and take some time in the morning to write down three things that you wish for that day and thus stimulate your inner happiness.
happiness questions
If you’re starting out with a blackout, take a look at your life and answer a few of these questions:
- What good has happened to me (today)?
- what made me happy
- Did someone give me a smile (today)?
- who makes me feel good
- What good qualities do I have (and did any of them show up today)?
- Do I have everything I really need?
- What gives me security?
- what is happiness for me
- What have I done for my happiness?
- What do I value in my friends/family?
Tip: Don’t think you’re lucky? Here are 10 signs you can spot happiness.
Gratitude journal examples
How you write it down exactly is up to you. The important thing is that you are grateful for it are you – what to be thankful for should, does not count. Everything is worth writing down, people, special things, relationships, gestures or experiences.
“I’m thankfull ….
- … for my sister”
- … for my colleague who helped me today”
- …for someone offering me their seat on the full train”
- …for staying calm when I was arguing with my boyfriend”
- …for finishing project XY at work today”
- … for the fact that my best friend always has an open ear for me”
- … for my favorite chair”
- … for my morning coffee”
- … for the wonderful necklace from my aunt”
- … for sunshine”
- … for snow”
- … for my favorite dish that was in the canteen today”
- … for this inspiring book I’m reading right now”
- … for video telephony”
- … for flowers”
- … for love”
… and what are you thankful for?
What is the difference to a diary?
Nothing experienced today. Also beautiful.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is said to have written this in his diary. But mostly a lot happens. if you a diary you probably write all sorts of thoughts in it: what you experienced during the day, what depresses you or what is still to come for you the next day or in the near future. Just everything that worries you – often the negative things are more noticeable to us. The gratitude journal, on the other hand, should only be about the positive things in your life.
Why is it that we tend to notice negative things
Do you also know that one friend who gets upset about everything or the boss who talks more about mistakes than about successes? The fact that people perceive negative things more than positive ones has evolutionary biological reasons, as the happiness researcher Karlheinz Ruckriegel told n-tv.de. “We used to have to be more aware of danger to avoid being eaten by the next big animal. The limbic system in the brain is responsible for this. It’s all about surviving in the here and now,” he explained there. The dangers aren’t that great anymore, but the system of perception hasn’t adapted that far. And so it happens that even today, we still tend to see the negative But with a gratitude journal, you can shift the focus to the positive—yay!
The benefits of a gratitude journal
The gratitude journal gives us the chance to to perceive our world and our life positivelyto learn to appreciate our relationships and other circumstances (roof over our heads, good food, enough clothes, work, etc. …) and also shows us that we can do something for our own happiness.